Engineered

Engineered Wood Flooring – Unfinished & Prefinished

Engineered wood flooring is built up in layers Engineered wood flooring construction consists of 3 to 10 layers of wood (typically 5). Each layer of wood is called a “ply” and they are oriented in different directions for strength, then glued under pressure. This construction technique results in a wood floor that is more stable than a solid wood floor. Stable meaning the floor is less susceptible to shrinkage and expansion movement due to fluctuations in humidity or temperature. These floors are also able to be installed directly over concrete and may be installed in below grade applications unlike solid wood floors. However, before installation is attempted over a concrete floor or a basement slab, vapor transmission testing must be done to determine if the level of concrete slab vapor emissions / hydrostatic pressure is acceptable. The problem of excessive moisture in a basement slab or concrete slab may be devastating to an engineered wood flooring installation. Another feature of these floors is that they come tongue and groove and can be installed non-floating, using nails or full adhesive spread, or some manufacturers offer interlocking engineered floating wood flooring that requires no adhesive. These interlocking floating wood floors are the easiest to install and require no specialized tools. Which will it be: solid hardwood flooring or engineered wood flooring?

Engineered-Unfinished

Engineered-Prefinished

Engineered wood flooring is more closely aligned to solid hardwood than laminate because it does incorporate a thin veneer of natural wood on top of plywood. Each playwood layer runs perpendicular to each other, it is more dimensionally stable than solid wood. Engineered wood floor’s higher price point, too, resembles that of solid hardwood. Yet the upside to this high price is that its resale value is commensurately high. Its perceived value, as well as its monetary value, has only gained over the last few decades as more builders, designers, and homeowners have adopted it.